Brad Marchand scored his first goal as a Florida Panther to cap a dominant second period, as the Panthers rallied past the Detroit Red Wings 4-1 on Thursday night for their second straight win.
Marchand, acquired earlier this season, sent the Amerant Bank Arena crowd into a frenzy with his milestone goal late in the middle frame, drawing a standing ovation. His tally capped a three-goal blitz in the second period that turned a 1-0 deficit into a comfortable lead for Florida.
Mackie Samoskevich and Evan Rodrigues also found the back of the net during the second period, helping Florida overcome a slow start. Aleksander Barkov added an insurance goal with 5:57 left in the third, reaching the 20-goal mark for the 10th consecutive season — a feat that cements his place as one of the NHL’s most consistent forwards.
Alex DeBrincat opened the scoring for Detroit in the first period with a milestone of his own — the 250th goal of his career and his 63rd in two seasons with the Red Wings. The 26-year-old remains one of the team’s few bright spots amid a downward spiral, as Detroit has now dropped 13 of its last 20 games (6-13-1).
The win marked the 915th regular-season victory for Panthers head coach Paul Maurice, pushing him past Barry Trotz into sole possession of third place on the NHL’s all-time coaching wins list.
DeBrincat continues to lead the offensive charge, and still has a shot at becoming the Red Wings’ first 40-goal scorer since Marian Hossa in 2008-09. Over that same span, 26 other NHL teams have had at least one 40-goal scorer.
Aaron Ekblad rejoined the team for the morning skate — his first team activity since being handed a 20-game suspension for violating the NHL’s Performance Enhancing Substances Program. He won’t be eligible to return until Game 3 of the Panthers’ opening-round playoff series.
Marchand’s first goal in a Panthers uniform — and the roar that followed — not only capped the game-changing second period but also solidified his status as a valuable addition heading into the postseason.
Florida had been just 0-5-1 in its last six games when conceding the first goal, and 4-12-1 in its last 17 when trailing after one. Thursday’s win snapped that trend in convincing fashion.
Detroit heads to Tampa Bay on Friday — the second time this week the Lightning will host a team coming off a game in Florida the night before. The Panthers will stay home to host Buffalo on Saturday, with the Sabres also headed to Tampa the following day.
